Snakes and Kittens
by Kirachu
Summary: Karupin is sick, and Momo and Ryoma find help from an unexpected source.


**Snakes and Kittens  
by Kira** (mikilicious_babe@hotmail.com) 

**Author's Notes:** Um… it's my first attempt at writing Prince of Tennis. ^^; Probably could have been better, but it was a first try. Hope you enjoy! 

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"Okay, here it comes, Echizen!" 

Stretching out the arm gripping the racket, Momo held the ball in his other hand, preparing to toss up the serve. They should have been working on their doubles skills, but after an amazingly embarrassing defeat at the hands of Nanjirou (though he said quite vehemently that he was not Nanjirou, and Momo just wondered how a monk had kicked their asses at tennis), both did not want to risk further shame and had settled for a casual game of one-on-one. Grinning, Momo prepared to his famous Dunk Smash. 

But Ryoma was not paying attention to him. His attention immersed somewhere else, he did not seem to notice as Momo called out his taunt, and was even less aware when a ball came hurtling out of no where. It bounced once on the court, flew up on the rebound, and barreled into Ryoma's chin. 

"Ow!" 

Hands flying up to his jaw, Ryoma whirled around to face Momo, glaring from beneath his cap. Momo laughed sheepishly. 

"Well, you should've been paying attention," he said. 

"You could have said something." 

"I did," Momo replied blandly, rolling his eyes. "What're you looking at anyway?" 

Ryoma lifted an arm, pointing with his racket to the ancient bell that stood near the court. Stretched out on the steps was a lump of white and brown fur, bearing its full, round tummy to the sun and looking more like a raccoon than the cat it was. Karupin lay on his back, paws propped up on his stomach, hind legs stretched out. He looked like any other cat lounging around in the sunshine to Momo, but Ryoma was seeing something else. 

"What about him?" Momo asked. 

"He's been like that all day," Ryoma replied. 

Momo scratched the back of his head thoughtfully. "Maybe he's dead?" 

Ryoma shot him a glare that could have easily burned a hole through his skull. Momo laughed, albeit it nervously. 

"Sorry, sorry. It was just a joke." 

Ryoma ignored him, walking off the court to see to his cat. Karupin did not even twitch a muscle as he approached. That much Momo knew was strange. Karupin was always happy to see someone willing to scratch his belly or play with him, and even more happy when it was Ryoma. 

"Sick, maybe?" Momo suggested. Standing over Ryoma, he stared down at the cat. Ryoma scratched him behind the ears, to little response from the seemingly exhausted Karupin. 

"Maybe," Ryoma replied, chewing his lip. 

"We could take him to a vet." 

Ryoma glanced up at him. "He's never been sick before... he doesn't have a vet." 

"There's gotta be one around somewhere." Deeming his plan a worthy one without any further consideration, Momo scooped up Karupin into his arms, much to the pathetic mewling of the cat. Ryoma winced. 

"Be careful." 

"I _am_ being careful," Momo returned indignantly. To his credit, he was. He cradled the cat carefully in his arms, mindful to not jostle him. Karupin curled up against his chest, nose and mouth burrowing into his tail. Momo frowned slightly. 

"You're right, something's wrong with him." 

"Let's just get him to someone." 

Momo nodded. Together the two set off, Momo holding Karupin securely in his arms while Ryoma looked over at him every step of the way. 

The sky was overcast when they had begun to play, but Momo had just said that if it started to rain, then they could call quits on the game. As they walked, the skies darkened, and scattered droplets of rain began to descend. 

"Great," Ryoma muttered. 

"Don't worry," Momo said reassuringly, "it's just around this corner--ACK!" 

Ryoma blinked as Momo suddenly pin wheeled backward, nearly losing his grip on Karupin in the process. Karupin mewled pitifully in his arms. 

"Hey!" Ryoma snapped. "Be careful!" 

"I was being careful!" Momo returned just as snappily. "But _he_ was coming out of no where!" 

Ryoma glanced up. Kaidoh glared at both of them. Obviously he had been doing his usual afternoon jogging routine; he was dressed in shorts and a tank top, a towel wrapped around his shoulders, and ever-present bandana on his head. He was less than pleased to be interrupted. 

"Who was coming out of no where?" he demanded, voice low, nearly growling. Ryoma was not impressed. Momo snapped back with just as much vigor. 

"You, baka mamushi!" 

Kaidoh hissed. Karupin mewed unhappily. 

Kaidoh shut up abruptly. The fierce line between his eyes smoothed over, but the frown still remained. He stared down at the bundle of fur in Momo's arms. 

"What's that?" 

"Well, in Latin, we call it the felis domesticus--" 

"It's my cat," Ryoma interrupted, and he delivered a swift kick to Momo's shin that sent the other boy yowling in pain. 

Kaidoh continued to stare down at Karupin, expression almost thoughtful. "What's wrong with it?" he asked finally. Ryoma glanced at Momo, confused, but Momo only shrugged his shoulders, still nursing his wounded shin. Not that he could have answered the reason for the sudden change in demeanor anyway. 

"Dunno," Ryoma answered truthfully. "We think he's sick." 

Silence a moment. The expression on his face vanished, and he looked as though he was going to walk away, leaving Momo and Ryoma to deal with the cat on their own. 

Then, he said gruffly, "Let me see." 

Momo glared at him. "What're you gonna do, eat him, baka mamushi?" 

Kaidoh hissed. Ryoma sighed. 

"Give him the cat, Momo-senpai." 

Momo relinquished Karupin to him less than happily. Kaidoh gently held the cat in his arms, supporting him in the crook of his elbow. Karupin opened his eyes and mewled softly. Ryoma and Momo watched in silence as Kaidoh inspected the cat, probing him here and there, and gaining little to no reaction from Karupin. Finally he knelt down, setting the cat down on the sidewalk. Ryoma blinked. 

"Hey--" 

"He's dehydrated." 

Another blink from Ryoma. "How'd you..." He did not bother to finish asking the question. Kaidoh had turned away from them, going to retrieve his water bottle from where it had tumbled to the ground upon his near-crash with Momo. Uncapping the lid, he poured some water into the cup of his hand and offered it to Karupin. 

"The cat's not gonna drink out of your... er... hand." Momo's voice trailed away as Karupin did just that, lapping away at his palm. "Well... never mind then." 

Karupin perked up once he had drank his full share of Kaidoh's water, Kaidoh pausing every so often to refill the cup in his hand as it quickly seeped through his fingers. He sat down comfortably when he was done and looked up at Ryoma and Momo curiously, as though wondering what they had been so concerned about. 

"Umm... thanks, I guess." Ryoma nudged Momo. 

"... right, thanks." 

Kaidoh shrugged. 

"Y'know, he was out there all day, huh?" Momo asked, scratching his head. "He never left to drink anything, did he?" 

Ryoma shook his head. "I didn't see him go anywhere." He sighed. "Stupid cat." 

Karupin mewled indignantly. Kaidoh scratched him behind the ears, and his mood immediately perked up, purring happily beneath the touch. 

"Heh, heh." Momo grinned wickedly. "Kaidoh can only get cats to like him." 

Kaidoh ignored him. Standing up, he adjusted the towel around his neck, and began to walk away. 

"Ja na," he said briefly, barely heard in the low growl of his voice. 

"See ya," Ryoma replied. "... and thanks." 

Only a grunt answered them. 


End file.
